60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll

60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll Corruption April 10-14, 2015

 Which one of the following institutions in American society is the most corrupt?

The federal government is the most corrupt institution in American society.

Americans think the federal government is the most corrupt institution in American society, at least when compared with other prominent institutions. When asked which is the most corrupt, 38% pick the federal government, far ahead of the news media (17%), banks and financial institutions (16%), the police (11%), and organized religions (7%).

Republicans (44%) and independents (42%) are particularly likely to pick the federal government as the most corrupt institution, while Democrats are divided between the federal government (26%) and banks and financial institutions (25%).

Which Institution is the Most Corrupt? Total Reps Dems Inds The federal government 38% 44% 26% 42% The news media 17 29 15 14 Banks and financial institutions 16 7 25 13 The police 11 4 17 10 Organized religions 7 4 9 8

 Do you think the amount of corrupt behavior in the world today is increasing, decreasing, or is it staying about the same?

Corruption is on the rise.

Looking beyond the U.S. to the world at large, nearly seven in 10 Americans think corruption in the world is increasing (68%), while another 27% think it is staying about the same. Just 4% of Americans think corruption is decreasing.

Belief that corruption is on the rise increases as Americans get more conservative. While 56% of liberals think corruption in the world is increasing, this rises to 68% of moderates and 72% of conservatives.

Corruption in the World Is… Total Liberal Moderate Conservative Increasing 68% 56% 68% 72% Staying the same 27 37 26 23 Decreasing 4 5 5 3  In your experience, people who are not corruptible and squeaky clean are 1. Just the kind of people you want to know, 2. Insufferable and humorless, or 3. Too few to be noticed.

Incorruptible people are the ones you want to know - if you can find them.

Americans don’t seem to mind people who are incorruptible – just 8% find them to be insufferable and humorless. Far more – 46% - find those who are not corruptible and “squeaky clean” to be just the kind of people they want to know. Over a third, however, characterize people who are not corruptible as too few to be noticed.

While 60% of Republicans characterize incorruptible people as the kind of people they want to know, Democrats and independents are more likely than Republicans to think such people are too few to be noticed.

People Who Are Not Corruptible Are… Total Reps Dems Inds The kind of people you want to know 46% 60% 46% 40% Insufferable and humorless 8 4 12 8 Too few to be noticed 37 26 38 42

 When dealing with other people, do you usually prefer people who are not corruptible, even if it means you might not get your way, or corruptible, even if it means you might not be able to trust them in the future?

Americans would rather deal with people who are not corruptible, even if they don’t get their way.

But if they can find them, most Americans would rather deal with people who are not corruptible than corruptible. When asked to pick between corruptible and incorruptible people, 87% of Americans say they would rather deal with incorruptible people, even if it means that they might not get their way. Just 9% would rather deal with people who are corruptible, even if they might not be able to trust them in the future.

Which Type of Person Do You Prefer to Deal With? Total Reps Dems Inds Not corruptible 87% 91% 88% 83% Corruptible 9 6 9 10  Please say whether you think each of the following activities is acceptable, or unacceptable.

Paying to get ahead is more acceptable than playing hooky from work.

Americans are more tolerant of some so-called corrupt activities than others. While Americans are divided as to whether tipping a host or usher to get a better table or better seats is acceptable (47%) or not acceptable (49%), 59% do not think it’s acceptable to extend this principle to paying someone to stand in line for them.

Still, there are some other controversial practices that Americans are even less tolerant of. Just 34% of Americans think it’s acceptable to bribe a child to shut up by giving them candy, while just 30% think it’s acceptable to use a paid sick day for recreational use – 67% find this to be unacceptable.

Even fewer – just 16% - find it acceptable to forge a spouse’s signature on documents when they’re not around, while only 14% think it’s acceptable to write a letter of recommendation for someone they don’t really know very well. Over eight in 10 Americans find these last two practices unacceptable.

Are These Activities Acceptable or Unacceptable? Acceptable Unacceptable Tipping a host or usher to get a better table or better seats 47% 49

Paying someone to stand in line for you 39% 59

Giving candy to a child to make the child shut up 34% 64

Using a paid sick day for recreational use 30% 67

Forging a spouse’s signature on Documents in his or her absence 16% 82

Writing a letter of recommendation for someone you don’t know very well 14% 83  Which one of the following is the most effective method of corruption?

If you want to corrupt someone, pull out your wallet.

Paying for a more advantageous table or seat might be considered bribery by some, and Americans think bribery is the most effective means to corrupt someone. 34% of Americans pick bribery as the most effective method of corruption, just ahead of lying (29%). Further down on the list are cheating (13%), friendship (7%), seduction (6%), and flattery (5%).

Men (38%) clearly think bribery is better than other methods, while women are torn between lying (33%) and bribery (31%).

Which Method of Corruption is the Most Effective? Total Men Women Bribery 34% 38% 31% Lying 29 24 33 Cheating 13 12 15 Friendship 7 9 5 Seduction 6 8 5 Flattery 5 5 5

 In general, is the practice of nepotism, that is, giving jobs or favors to relatives and friends, acceptable or not acceptable?

Younger Americans are more accepting of nepotism.

Another activity that most Americans are not accepting of is nepotism – the giving of jobs or favors to relatives and friends. 66% of Americans find this practice to be unacceptable, though many under the age of thirty beg to differ. While 70% of Americans thirty and up find nepotism to be unacceptable, adults under the age of thirty are divided: 49% find it acceptable while 48% do not.

Feelings About Nepotism Total 18-29 30+ Not acceptable 66% 48% 70% Acceptable 30 49 25  Which comes closest to how you would feel if you found out that friends of yours had pulled strings to get their underachieving child into a prestigious college?

When it comes to college, it’s not fair to pull strings.

Americans also don’t find it acceptable for one of their friends to pull strings to get their underachieving child into a prestigious college. Just 7% of Americans think it’s perfectly acceptable to do such a thing, while 90% think it’s corrupt – though this includes 17% who would nevertheless do it too if they could.

Americans closer to college age themselves are a little more forgiving. Though 94% of Americans under thirty think it’s corrupt to pull strings to get into a good college, over a third (34%) would do it too if they could.

How Would You Feel if Your Friends Pulled Strings to Get Their Child into a Prestigious College? Total 18-29 30+ It’s corrupt and unfair 73% 60% 76% It’s perfectly acceptable 7 6 7 It’s corrupt, but I’d do it too if I could 17 34 13

 Who was Spiro Agnew? Was he… 1. A convicted Boston mob boss, 2. A restaurant owner who served stolen meat, 3. A former vice president who was forced to resign, 4. A figure in the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal, or 5. A disgraced New York police commissioner?

Most Americans under 50 don’t remember Spiro Agnew.

Most Americans don’t know who Spiro Agnew was, particularly Americans under the age of 50. Just 45% of Americans know that Spiro Agnew was Richard Nixon’s first Vice President - who was forced to resign due to a corruption in scandal in 1973. But there are large generational differences. While 71% of Americans 50 and over can correctly identify Agnew, this is true of just 21% of Americans under 50.

Among Americans overall, 8% say Agnew was a disgraced New York police commissioner, 6% say he was a convicted Boston mob boss, 4% pick him to be a figure in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, and 2% pick that he was a restaurant owner who served stolen meat. 35% volunteer that they don’t know who Spiro Agnew was.

Who Was Spiro Agnew? Total 18-49 50+ A former vice president forced to resign 45% 21% 71% A disgraced New York police commissioner 8 11 4 A convicted Boston mob boss 6 9 2 A figure in the 1919 Black Sox scandal 4 6 1 A restaurant owner who served stolen meat 2 4 1 Don’t know (vol.) 35 49 21  Which one of the following sports is the most corrupt?

Boxing is the most corrupt sport.

When picking from a list of sports that have been plagued with corruption scandals, Americans think boxing is the most corrupt sport. 44% say so, ahead of the 31% who pick horse racing, and far ahead of cycling (7%), soccer (5%), and figure skating (2%).

Which Sport Is the Most Corrupt? Total Men Women Boxing 44% 43% 45% Horse racing 31 28 35 Cycling 7 10 5 Soccer 5 8 2 Figure skating 2 2 1

 Which corrupt fictional character do you think would make the most entertaining dinner guest?

If they were to have a corrupt fictional character over for dinner, four in 10 Americans would pick a gangster – though they don’t necessarily agree on which gangster they’d invite. 21% of Americans think having Vito Corleone from The Godfather over for dinner would be an offer they couldn’t refuse, while 19% would pick Tony Soprano from The Sopranos. Another 17% would rather match wits with “The Napoleon of Crime” – Professor Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes.

Another 12% would prefer dining with one of Batman’s foils, the whip-carrying femme fatale Catwoman from Batman Comics. Just 10% would prefer to dine with the psychopathic wizard Voldemort from the Harry Potter series, but that is still more than the 7% that would dine with a politician – the conniving Frank Underwood from House of Cards.

Many Americans would like a gangster over for dinner.

Which Corrupt Character Would Make the Best Dinner Guest? Total Men Women Vito Corleone from The Godfather 21% 24% 18% Tony Soprano from The Sopranos 19 19 19 Professor Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes 17 16 18 Catwoman from Batman 12 12 13 Voldemort from Harry Potter 10 8 12 Frank Underwood from House of Cards 7 7 8

______This poll was conducted by telephone from April 10-14, 2015 among a random sample of 1,005 adults nationwide. Data collection was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Media, PA. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus 3 percentage points. The error for other subgroups may be higher. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Poll. 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Questions Corruption April 10-14, 2015

VF-01. Which ONE of the following institutions in American society is the most corrupt?

*** TOTAL RESPONDENTS *** ***** Party ID ***** Total Reps Dems Inds % % % % The federal government 38 44 26 42 The news media 17 29 15 14 Banks and financial institutions 16 7 25 13 The police 11 4 17 10 Organized religions 7 4 9 8 Don’t know/No answer 11 11 8 13

VF-02. Do you think the amount of corrupt behavior in the world today is increasing, decreasing, or is it staying about the same?

*Political Philosophy * Total Lib Mod Cons % % % % Increasing 68 56 68 72 Decreasing 4 5 5 3 Staying the same 27 37 26 23 Don’t know/no answer 1 1 1 2

VF-03. When dealing with other people, do you usually prefer people who are not corruptible, even if it means you might not get your way, or corruptible, even if it means you might not be able to trust them in the future.

***** Party ID ***** Total Reps Dems Inds % % % % Not corruptible 87 91 88 83 Corruptible 9 6 9 10 Don’t know/no answer 5 2 3 7

VF-04. In your experience, people who are not corruptible and squeaky clean are:

Just the kind of people you want to know 46 60 46 40 Insufferable and humorless 8 4 12 8 Too few to be noticed 37 26 38 42 Don’t know/no answer 8 11 4 10

VF-05. Please say whether you think each of the following activities is acceptable, or unacceptable. a. Tipping a host or usher to get a better table or better seats. *** TOTAL RESPONDENTS *** *** Gender *** Total Men Women % % % Acceptable 47 52 42 Unacceptable 49 45 54 Don’t know/no answer 4 3 4 b. Using a paid sick day for recreational use.

Acceptable 30 32 28 Unacceptable 67 65 69 Don’t know/no answer 3 2 3 c. Writing a letter of recommendation for someone you don’t know very well.

Acceptable 14 16 12 Unacceptable 83 82 85 Don’t know/no answer 2 2 2 d. Paying someone to stand in line for you.

Acceptable 39 42 36 Unacceptable 59 56 62 Don’t know/no answer 2 2 2 e. Giving candy to a child to make the child shut up.

Acceptable 34 38 29 Unacceptable 64 59 68 Don’t know/no answer 3 3 3 f. Forging a spouse’s signature on documents in his or her absence.

Acceptable 16 16 16 Unacceptable 82 81 82 Don’t know/no answer 2 3 2

VF-06. In general, is the practice of nepotism, that is, giving jobs or favors to relatives and friends, acceptable or not acceptable?

*** Age *** Total 18-29 30+ % % % Acceptable 30 49 25 Not acceptable 66 48 70 Don’t know/no answer 4 3 5

VF-07. Which one of the following is the most effective method of corruption?

*** TOTAL RESPONDENTS *** *** Gender *** Total Men Women % % % Bribery 34 38 31 Lying 29 24 33 Cheating 13 12 15 Friendship 7 9 5 Seduction 6 8 5 Flattery 5 5 5 Don’t know/no answer 5 4 5

VF-08. Which comes closest to how you would feel if you found out that friends of yours had pulled strings to get their underachieving child into a prestigious college?

*** Age *** Total 18-29 30+ % % % It’s corrupt and unfair 73 60 76 It’s perfectly acceptable 7 6 7 It’s corrupt, but I’d do it too if I could 17 34 13 Don’t know/No answer 3 1 4

VF-09. Who was Spiro Agnew? Was he…?

Total 18-49 50+ % % % A former vice president who was forced to resign 45 21 71 A disgraced New York police commissioner 8 11 4 A convicted Boston mob boss 6 9 2 A figure in the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal 4 6 1 A restaurant owner who served stolen meat 2 4 1 Don’t know/no answer 35 49 21

VF-10. Which one of the following sports is the most corrupt?

*** Gender *** Total Men Women % % % Boxing 44 43 45 Horse racing 31 28 35 Cycling 7 10 5 Soccer 5 8 2 Figure skating 2 2 1 Don’t know/no answer 10 9 11

VF-11. Which corrupt fictional character do you think would make the most entertaining dinner guest?

*** TOTAL RESPONDENTS *** *** Gender *** Total Men Women % % % Vito Corleone, The Godfather 21 24 18 Tony Soprano from The Sopranos 19 19 19 Professor Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes 17 16 18 Catwoman from Batman 12 12 13 Voldemort from Harry Potter 10 8 12 Frank Underwood from House of Cards 7 7 8 Don’t know/no answer 13 14 12

Total respondents: 1,005